Katherine's Vision
by QueenMaryofEngland
Summary: Katherine grew up knowing it was God's will for her to be Queen of England, so what happens when she gets visions from the future about a certain 'Queen Elizabeth' and she only has one daughter, Mary. Challenge from ReganX. Full summary is inside.
1. Chapter I: Katherine's Submission

**Author's Notes:** **For those who are wondering what is happening with both A New Life and A Change of Fate, I haven't abandoned them. I have simply had to take a break from them due to a combination of writer's block and the mountain of school work that has recently piled up.**

 **Summary:** **Katherine grew up knowing that it was God's will to be Queen of England, when she gets married to Henry, Katherine is plagued with dreams that there will be a Queen who will lead England into a golden age called Queen Elizabeth. The only issue is that her child baring years are quickly catching up with her yet her only child to live is a daughter called Mary.**

 **This is based off ReganX's forum, Challenge #503 by QueenAnneTudor called 'Katherine's Vision'. For those who are unaware the requirements are such:**

 **Katherine submits to Henry and forces Mary to as well.**

 **Anne is never executed, and does have a son in 1536, but Katherine still sees Elizabeth as the only heir.**

 **Mary does marry and have children.**

 **Jane and her family attempt to dethrone Anne but fail due to Katherine backing Anne.**

 **Anne has at least two more children and a son that outlives Henry.**

* * *

The once Queen of England, now disgraced wife, Katherine of Aragon stood alone in her chambers at the dreadful place she was now forced to call her home. The More. It was a Royal Manor she'd give it that but given its current state not even some low born squire would like to call this place his home. She had been here for little over six months, the same amount of her husband had been in a false marriage with that wench Anne Boleyn. The child that the Boleyn woman carried was illegitimate, it was as simple as that. The baby inside her womb had been conceived before her marriage to the King and there could not be considered a child of their union, ignoring the fact that their marriage was already unlawful due to the King still being married to herself under the eyes of the pope and therefore God himself.

Why couldn't Henry see? Why was he so incapable of opening his eyes to the truth of the matter and realizing that both she and him were the victims of the Boleyn's rise to power? She already knew the answers to her questions, it was because Henry believed that it was God's will for a son to rule after him. _'Well he's wrong, isn't he?_ Katherine thought to herself.

For as much as her husband went on about the importance of a son to continue the Tudor dynasty Katherine knew. When she first came to England to become wife to Prince Arthur she too dreamed of such things. To have a son was to have power. However, when tragedy struck, and her beloved Arthur died of sweat and she herself was left to suffer alone in poverty she received visions. These visions showed her of a future where all of England was enclosed in a golden age and through it all, the only thing Katherine could hear were the cries of 'Long live Queen Elizabeth!'. When she was first subject to the visions Katherine beloved the woman in the visions to be herself and that she should change her name to Elizabeth. As time went on though the visions started to become clearer, the woman who was in an open carriage had almost gold hair and had the had a certain resemblance to a person she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Month later, when the old King Henry VII had died, Henry assumed the throne and asked for her hand in marriage. Katherine could still remember the feeling of utter relief when he had asked her that questions, finally she was to be free from the endless poverty she had been forced to endure. Yet nothing had been more shocking to her than the sight of her soon to be husband whom she hadn't seen in years. Suddenly it all made sense to her. Elizabeth, the one-day Queen of England, was a child of his. Katherine preceded to spend the next years of her life trying to conceive, with Henry by her side although for different reasons. She never told anyone about the visions she saw at night, least of all Henry who so insistent upon the fact that only a son could succeed him and become the next monarch. As the years went on Katherine conceived many children her first, Henry, had only lived a month and while Katherine was devastated by his death she understood that God had a plan for everything and that she must obey. Her second child to be born living was girl, a girl Henry had called Mary. Katherine dutifully accepted the name but, on the inside, she was seething. Her husband had just ruined their daughter's future, yet he did not know the terrible consequences of his actions.

Over the course of the next several years with all the miscarriages Katherine had suffered she began to believe that her visions were nothing more than the stress she was under during her time of widowhood as Dowager Princess of Wales, in fact, the visions had stooped soon after Mary's birth, until now. When she moved into the More her first night had consisted of no sleep due to constant visions that were almost the same as the ones she received before. The logical side to her told her not believe them, she was simply under stress due to her husbands attempts to divorce her and marry that heretic wife of his. Yet, there was something about them that made her stop to tell herself that maybe, just maybe, they were true after all.

The only problem with that now was that while Katherine was absolutely sure that the child's father was Henry himself, or else how she is meant to become Queen, the mother, she could guess, was not her and was in fact Anne Boleyn. If that happened, then Katherine would be forced to back down and demand that Mary do the same to make sure that no opposition faced the child. As much as Katherine wanted to ignore what was happening and pretend that Anne Boleyn wouldn't be the mother of England's golden age and it was instead herself she knew deep within herself that it was not her place to question God's will and if He chose to give Elizabeth to the Boleyn woman then she would have no other choice but to obey hid will.

The few moments that passed next seemed to feel as if they would last an eternity until Maria, one of Katherine's most trusted ladies, opened the door. Maria took a few short steps before bowing deeply, something she had done since Katherine's coronation as Queen of England and still did as Maria believed wholeheartedly that the woman before her was the lawful Queen and would be until the day she died. Katherine could see that although Maria's outwardly posture was that of a woman who was sad there was a hint of joy radiating front her eyes. As Maria stood she told her friend the news that she would surely be happy to hear. "The Lady Anne Boleyn has delivered of her bastard, it is a daughter. Not the son and heir the King hoped for." Maria joyfully stated unaware of the turmoil inside Katherine's head. "Your Majesty surely this will persuade the King that God is not on his side and that we should prepare for you to resume your rightful place as his wife soon?"

" _It is a daughter."_ Katherine stood there in stunned silence as Maria's words racked her brain. She knew that Maria only intended to help, for surely if she had not been the receiver of such visions she too would be celebrating the birth of a daughter, safe in the knowledge that Anne Boleyn's reign of terror would not be one that would last much longer. "The name. What is her child to be called?" The answer to this question was one that would define the rest of Katherine's life and that of her only child Mary who wanted nothing more that to be crowned Queen of England.

Maria stood there for a minute trying to remember the name before speaking. "Elizabeth, I believe. After her paternal grandmother Elizabeth of York and her maternal one as well, Elizabeth Howard if I'm correct. Do not worry over such things Your Majesty all you need do is focus on how we can use this to our advantage, I'm sure that the King is not pleased by this" Maria was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she was almost oblivious to what was happening before her.

Katherine sighed heavily. She knew that Elizabeth would be born as surely as she knew that the sun would rise I the morning, what she didn't know was the circumstances of her birth although it was not for her to question God's will but to follow as any obedient Christian should. Her only worry now would be to get Mary to submit and hope that Henry accepted her back into his life.

* * *

 **Whitehall Palace, October 1533**

Henry Tudor was not a happy man. By this point every person who occupied the palace with him knew that. Everyone knew that the cause of such unhappiness lay at the door of his knew child who, through no fault of her own, was born a girl. A girl who the King had Christened Elizabeth and promptly proclaimed heiress presumptive until such a time when a son was born to Queen Anne. Many said that this was God's way of telling the King that the woman he had torn England in half for was not the rightful Queen and Many more so predicting the soon return of their beloved Queen Katherine and for the whole affair to be over and done with as quickly as possible. For those who wished such a thing they were bound to be disappointed on two levels the first being that the King's pride would never allow him to simply go back to Katherine and pretend that his love for Anne never happened. Henry could already hear the mocking chants of both the Emperor and the King of France if he did such thing, they'd all think he had a mind of a woman who was expected to change her mind often and without notice.

The second was because of a letter that was swiftly making its way through the halls of Whitehall Palace. The contents of the letter were soon to change the entire political stage in England, in was the submission of the former Queen Katherine. When Henry divorced Katherine he always made sure that she would be able to contact him in the event that she decided to submit, although he tempted to close the contact between them completely when instead of submitting all he would hear were her complaints about the More or about how he was treating Mary, a now bastard, too poorly.

Henry was sat at his desk busying himself with matters of state when one of his men stepped into his chambers and bowed. "Your Majesty, a letter from the Dowager Princess of Wales."

Henry frowned. "Isn't Cromwell's job to deal with her and her many letters? What does she want now, or has she simply written to gloat about her victory over the Queen because you can yell her she has had no such victory over anyone? Be assured the Queen and I will have a son"

"Master Cromwell has seen the letter and believes it to be of great importance, Your Majesty." The servant boy calmly said as not to anger his already agitated master.

"Then give it here." Henry barked. Not a moment later the boy stepped forward and placed the letter into the King's hands. "You may leave now." The King ordered. Henry opened the letter and began to read it through realising that this letter was different to the one he would normally receive off Katherine.

 _Your Majesty,_

 _I write to you today to express my joy at the birth of your daughter the Princess Elizabeth, I know that the years have not been kind to either of us and that you may think me to be sending this letter in cruelty – to gloat over the fact that the woman you replaced me with has provided you with yet another daughter and not the son you so clearly desire. If that was the case, then I would not write a letter to you knowing full well that Cromwell or one of your other servants would throw this in the fire and that you would never lay eyes on it._

 _Nay, I write this to you in the hope of a new beginning, not as your wife – for I surely know by now that such a thing will never occur again – but as your beloved sister and mother of your daughter the Lady Mary. In such times as, these we live in now I believe it best to put the past behind us and that I should denounce my title as your Queen and accept the one that has truly been mine ever since my husband, your brother, died._

 _Ever your loving and obedient servant,_

 _Katherine, Dowager Princess of Wales._

Henry's hands were heavily shaking by the time he finished the letter, did she mean it? Of course, it didn't really matter if whether or not she believed it in her heart, all that mattered was that she didn't encourage others to take up her cause and convince those that had to disarm themselves. All Henry Knew for certain was that if he was right and that Katherine was truly to submit herself before him and proclaim Anne as his rightful Queen, which she was, then perhaps the situation was not as he thought it to be. Perhaps the birth of his daughter Elizabeth – who made him look like a fool, for surely what man divorces his wife for only giving him a daughter only to remarry and have another daughter and not the son that was of paramount importance to the stability of the realm – had been a blessing in disguise.

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 **Author's Note:** **The first chapter is done! What do you guys think, please leave your thoughts in the review section, they help me to improve and better my stories!**

 **For those who want to know I also changed my username to QueenMaryofEngland, for no other reason the I just really like it and I think it's better than my last one, anyway until next time. Bye!**


	2. Chapter II: Anne's Reaction

**Author's Note:** **Chapter two is here guys, yay! Sorry for any delay. I want to say a big, big thank you to all those who reviewed and made suggestions on how the story should play out, you have all given me something to think about in regards to what will happen to each of the characters. Hopefully in this chapter we'll get to see what Anne thinks of this all. Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Whitehall Palace, 1533**

Cromwell had done his best to make sure the information in the Dowager Princess of Wales' last letter was kept securely under lock and key, the boy he sent had sworn on pain of death that he wouldn't read the letter beforehand – or deliver it to someone before he gave it to the King – and Cromwell had no choice but to believe that he had done his job right. The submission of the King's former wife was information that, if leaked, could cause disastrous affects for the realm. It was best, Cromwell thought, if the Privy Council were to help deal with the situation so that when everyone in court – and no doubt Europe – knew of this latest development they could be ready for any trick the Spanish or the Pope may pull.

Cromwell stood behind the King as they both walked into the great hall that hosted the Privy Council, away from anyone who may be listening in on state matters. Cromwell made sure to keep the appropriate distance from the King as required from his secretary, the other great lords of the realm stood tall and proud – with the noticeable acceptation of the two Boleyn men, George and Thomas, who were unsure if they still laid in favour of the King after the birth of a daughter – The Duke of Norfolk looked as confidant as he could, whilst Anne's failure had been a blow to him his fortunes were not directly tied to hers.

"Good day gentleman, shall we begin?" Henry stated as he sat down, a few moments passed before the rest of them sat down as well with Cromwell continuing to stand. "There is a matter of utmost importance that I wish to discuss with you." Henry gave a wave in Cromwell's direction and he filed through his papers before handing one of them over to Henry. "This letter contains the submission of the Dowager Princess of Wales in which she finally admits to her rightful place as the widow of my brother and the mother of my bastard daughter The Lady Mary."

As Henry looked around he could see an array of expressions, those of the Boleyn faction had a relived expression on their faces with Thomas Boleyn barely able to hold his joy in at the knowledge that his daughter's reign as Queen was now secure. However, men like Charles, his boyhood friend, and Thomas More had a more concerned look on their face as if they thought that this was not right. Well it would be best to keep such thoughts to themselves if they knew what was good for them to go against the Kings wishes – on a matter as big as the country's succession – would be treason plain and simple.

After a few minutes of agonising silence Charles finally spoke up. "Your Majesty what is to happen to the her now?" Charles could barely speak all he could think about was why had she done this? Surely, she knew that one day the King would realise that if he was to only have a daughter from Anne it would be safer to go back to her, to Mary who was a far better choice than a newly born infant. Both he had his newly wedded wife Catherine were firm believer's in her cause. But if Katherine had submitted under her own free will – which was yet to be proven – then as a loyal subject he would have to accepted, however that did not mean he wasn't going to fight to ensure that she was well of in all matters.

"She will be removed from the More at once and rooms shall be made for her at court. However, I am in mind to make her submit to me personally to make sure that she is committed to her words nothing public, perhaps a simple ceremony in private with only a few people in attendance." Henry declared. Since Katherine had submitted to him without him prompting her to do so he was inclined to be generous with her. He was sure that if he made sure to treat her well whilst making it plain that he was the one in control that she was sure to do as she was told. There was a part of his mind that told him that he shouldn't be lenient towards her, the woman who had refused to step down quietly and made him the laughing stock of Europe. If she had submitted to his will when he told her of his plans to annul their marriage they wouldn't be in this mess. When he thought about it, it more Katherine's fault that his, she was the one who couldn't produce a son Henry Fitzroy had shown him that, she was the one who made it difficult for herself whilst proclaiming that she was a wronged wife. If anything, she should be grateful that he decided to allow her to return to his life.

"But, Your Majesty, would it not be better if she were to submit publicly. Therefore, allowing everyone to see with their own eyes." Boleyn interjected. The submission of the Dowager came at a time when the Boleyn's needed to be bolstered due to their most recent embarrassment. When he learned of the news that Anne had delivered of a girl and not a boy he wanted nothing more than to throttle her. Did she not understand the importance of a boy? Everyone in the country knew how desperate the King was to continue his male line and they needed it to. Boleyn had to do everything to salvage the situation proclaiming that the birth of a daughter was a sure sign of her fertility. As well as that he had pointed out to a few that Anne's first child had been born healthy unlike any of Katherine's who had been born sickly – with the expectation of the Lady Mary.

"Are you to presume that the people of my realm will not take their sovereigns word." Henry said with growing anger. Back when he was first in love with Anne he ignored most of Boleyn's crude words but now that he was not so blinded by love anymore he took Boleyn for what he was worth, an ambitious courtier like all the others. Henry was about to continue chastising Boleyn when Thomas More spoke up, making Boleyn feel relieved.

"What ranking is she to have? Is she to be before or after the Princess Elizabeth?"

"After the Princess Elizabeth. I want and act to be drafted that states that the Dowager Princess of Wales is to come after any children that I produce with the Queen and that she should receive a pension of £200 annually until her death." Henry stated. Both Charles and More were grateful for this as it would assure the safety of their friend. The rest of the Privy Council nodded in agreement and Henry swiftly changed the subject to another pressing matter.

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Anne Boleyn knew that something was amiss. Her husband, the King had been rather cool with her as of late and she knew why. For Christ sake everyone knew why! Her daughter, her beloved daughter was not the son that she had hoped for, nor the son the King had demanded of her either. Anne did have to confess to feeling disappointed, a sin that she prayed forgiveness for everyday when she first saw her. All she wanted to do was to stop time or somehow make it so Henry wouldn't be angry at her. As much as she fell in love with Elizabeth the moment the two were left alone it wouldn't change the fact that it would've been better for all – Elizabeth included – if she had been born a son.

Visits between herself and Henry had also become uncommon, the more logical side her told her that whilst she was still recovering and thus confined to her rooms Henry wouldn't be able to visit much either but then she thought about how before delivering he would spend hours with her. Thoughts such as these would do her no good but she couldn't help herself, one of her ladies-in-waiting Madge Shelton had informed her that the King 'Wished to be in the presence of his wife' and that bit at her to no end. Their last meeting had been a cold one in where any joy that her husband may have expressed at the joy of their first child being born slowly faded into a pained expression as he coldly asked her what to name the child. When Anne had suggested Elizabeth, she did so in the hope that it would calm him somewhat as she understood hoe important his mother Elizabeth of York had been to him. Anne was distracted from her thoughts when Madge stepped toward her and whispered into her ear that the King was here.

Henry entered a moment later, as Anne was laying in her bed she couldn't bow but made sure to keep her head fully bowed down. The rest of her ladies bowed as deeply as they could before Henry swiftly dismissed them all, allowing the royal couple some measure of privacy. "Anne I would like to inform you that Katherine has submitted to me." Henry calmly stated.

Anne stared at Henry in shock as she digested his words. _Submitted?_ Joy began to overflow in her veins, this was exactly what she needed in order to secure herself and her daughter. With Katherine out of the way then those who were championing her cause would be forced to back down, the only thing that could be better that this was if her bastard daughter Mary submitted as well as she posed more of a threat by positioning herself the be the next monarch after Henry. "Has she proclaimed that she is nothing more than the widow of the Prince of Wales and her daughter bastard born whilst I am rightful Queen and our daughter the heir apparent – until the birth of her brother no doubt." Anne was swift to add that last bit in after Henry shot her an icy glare.

"She has. I have also declared for her to be bought to court as a member of the Royal family – don't worry she will be ranked below both you and our children" Henry said.

"What?" Was all Anne could reply with. Katherine couldn't come to court, not yet at least. Ideally, she would want her to be there when she delivered her son to show to her and to all of England that she was capable of bearing a male child and Katherine was not. Yes, Katherine was below her and yes, she was below any children she may have but she was still classified as a member of the Royal family. Furthermore, coming to court meant that she had access to more resources such as the Spanish, Katherine could use her popularity against Anne and have displaced from her rightful position as Queen of England, she could –

"You heard me. She is to come to court and you are to accept her. It is my command." Henry smoothly said.

"Your command! And what if Your Majesty she comes here and has a change of heart, you and I both know that she is beloved by the common folk what if she rallies them against us or worse still she runs off to Spain and declares herself Queen and Mary rightful Princess!" Anne said sarcasticly, furry raging through her blood. She took a glance at Henry and noticed that his face had become remarkably redder as he slowly made his way towards the bed, sinking to his knees to be on eye level with her Henry reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Katherine is to come to court, as for Mary we shall see if her mother's submission prompts her to do the same, if not she will be dealt with in the correct manner. As for you." Henry's grip on her hand became more and more tighter causing Anne to wince. "You should focus on recovering from the birth and begin working on the production of a son and learn to stay out of matters not suited for you. Perhaps Katherine can teach you a thing or two on how to shut your eyes and obey the command of not just your husband, but your King." Henry removed his grip on her hand and stood up, swiftly exiting the room and Anne who was left behind could barely hold back the tears.

 _How could he?_ The man she had just witnessed was not the man she fell in love with. The man she knew listened to her and respected her – and her opinions. Madge quickly re-entered the room only to see her mistress laying there with a broken look on her face and a tear on her cheek running up to her she asked. "What is it Your Majesty?"

"He hates me." Was all Anne could choke out.

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 **Author's Notes:** **Wow, Henry is one hell of a douche and I hope he gets what's coming to him. Please make sire to leave your thoughts of this chapter in the review section below, they help me write this story. Bye!**


	3. Chapter III: For My Daughter

**A/N: Guess who's not dead! Sorry for the late update but life finally calmed down I had a sudden motivation to start writing again and hopefully its good. Please make sure to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the review section below.**

"You did what? Forgive me for speaking out of turn your Majesty but I cannot understand why you would do this." Maria was trying her best to understand why her Queen would have made such a rash decision as to give in to the King and his harlot when all they did was give birth to a girl – a girl who would never come close to being half the woman that the Princess of Wales was – maybe if the false Queen had delivered of a boy she could understood if the Queen were to falter a bit for surely the King would hound her countless times harder to submit in order to protect the rights of his illegitimate son. But a girl? No. there was no possible way that the people of England would accept her particularly since she was unlikely to gain a good marriage due to the other great monarchs of Europe seeing her for what she really was. A bastard.

"Maria you have to understand that this was not a decision that was lightly made, for what mother could in good conscious disinherit her own child for a mistake that was not her fault?" Katherine said as paced around her chambers. The look on Maria's face told Katherine that she didn't approve of her current course of action but she had to see why this was a necessary choice, Maria had not been blessed with the visions of Katherine had been. "Old friend you have trusted me for so long now, and now I must implore you to trust me now when I say that this is God's will he came to me in a dream and told me of his plan for us mortal creatures. This is my part – my role in His divine will – and I must play it to its fullest."

Maria looked at her for a long moment before letting out a breath she didn't know she was even holding. "Are you being forced into this? Have one of those awful Boleyn men shown up at our doorstep without my knowledge and forces you into this?" Maria then placed a comforting hand on her Queen's arm before speaking again in a hushed whisper, "If you tell the pope that you signed this document under duress then he will grant you a dispensation, remember your Majesty you are still the King's lawful wife under his rule."

"But alas my friend, we are no longer subjected to the rule of his Holiness." Katherine smiled sincerely. "This is no longer the England we saw when we came here all these years ago. No, this is an England of the King's creation and we must learn the ways of this new place as we did the first time we came hear."

Before Maria could respond to her, to tell her that his Holiness had control over all Christians – even ones who pretended otherwise – a page knocked on the door before entering with a swift a shallow bow that Katherine wasn't used to. Even though she admitted to the whole country that she was no longer Queen of England and had since encouraged her staff to treat her with in the manner that one would treat the Dowager Princess of Wales it still stung at her pride slightly to see the people around her not give her the respect that was due to the Queen. The page boy stood still and waited for Katherine to nod before he announced, "The Duke of Suffolk for you your Highness."

The page moved aside as the Duke walked into the room and quietly shut the door behind him as he left. Inside the room the Charles bowed before the Dowager Princess and gave a low nod to her lady-in-waiting. "Your Highness, I have been sent here on behalf on the King and his Privy council to tell you that the King has accepted your submission and is grateful that you have finally come to the truth about this matter." Ideally Charles would have wanted to come here to tell Katherine that she was restored to her position as Queen and that Henry's other wife had been gotten rid of, divorced perhaps, but if he was being realistic Charles knew that such an outcome would never occur as Henry's marriage to Anne was more about pride at this point than actual affection. Pride that he had been right to cast off his first wife and remarry and pride that Anne could deliver of a son.

"Nothing truthful about it." Muttered Maria as she poured a glass of wine for the Duke and the Queen. Katherine took the goblet of wine and ignored the comment made by her friend as she indicated for Charles to sit down. Katherine was somewhat happy knowing that Henry had sent a friend to talk about such sensitive matters with her although it did hurt knowing that it would have to be one of her oldest friends telling her the crushing news she was about to receive.

Charles took a sip of his wine before speaking. "As per the agreement the council came to you are to receive an annual sum of £200 until your death and as well as that his Majesty has decided to reinstate your household as would fit a Princess of England. You would be allowed to choose your ladies as you see fit but they will of course have to be approved of by his Majesty."

"He does not trust me." Katherine chuckled as she took another sip of her wine. "I suppose I cannot blame him for such distrust towards me given our past. It matters not, I'll make up a list of some respectable women and send it to Cromwell and no doubt he'll want to put his seal of approval on this as well. What else is there?"

Charles looked down at his hands nervously before looking up to meet the former Queen in the eye, "His Majesty would like it if you were to come to court for your submission."

"Like it or command it?"

"Command your Highness. But rest assured that when you arrive it will be a private submission with only his Majesty and a few others in attendance. Much to the chagrin of that foul creature Boleyn." Charles added on.

"Good. I'll shall be glad of being able to leave this dreadful place. Perhaps when I am at court the King will allow me to move into a manor of a higher upkeep for I have no intention to remain at court for long where there will be enemies who will certainly be dripping poison into the King's ear." Katherine said as she put down her empty goblet. If Henry was of the mind to give her a household then he may be able to be convinced to give her a new place to live, where she could properly support her household and entertain visitors. As she was thinking about Henry a new thought suddenly crossed her mind. "How is the Queen and the Princess?"

The question and sudden topic change took Charles by surprised as his mind worked to come up with an answer, "From what I've heard the Queen is set to make a full recovery in no time and as for the Princess Elizabeth she is in perfect health as was seen during her Christening which went off without an issue."

Katherine was in some way grateful for this. Disregarding the fact that Elizabeth was to be Queen one day Katherine new from personal experience how painful and heart-breaking it was to have a baby be cruelly ripped away from you only moments after its birth. "That is indeed good news Charles, although I will probably see for myself when I go to court. Henry is a proud man he will show her off to me as if to show me that he has what I could never give him. A healthy child."

A that sentence Charles gave her a sad look. "Is your Highness forgetting your daughter the Lady Mary?"

"No, I could never forget my darling pearl. She has been a source of such strength for me during these hard long years with Henry. But I am no fool Charles. I know that she has never had a strong constitution. Perhaps that was my fault." She mused. "I sent her to Ludlow at such a young age even though I knew that the damp and the cold of the castle would not help her become more robust, maybe if I hadn't sent her there she would have been able to flourish in the warmer climate. Alas I put politics above the welfare of my own child."

"Your Highness, Katherine, you put too much blame on yourself. I know that every decision you've made good and bad has only been for the benefit of your daughter."

Katherine smiled at Charles. "And this is what this is. A decision for the benefit of my daughter. Not a short-term one and maybe it'll take a while before everything settles down but I really do think that this is the best decision long-term for her. This time I'm putting her welfare above the politics."

* * *

Anne was currently satin her bedchambers as one of her maids prepared her hair for bed brushing it before putting in a secure braid. Anne was pleased that as of recent Henry had seemed to have returned to his loving self slowly, he fought with her less and the she now felt as if she could bring up the topic of their daughter without having his disappointed gaze bear into him. While she herself could never be upset with her daughter she could see why Henry would be. He needed one to prove to Europe that he could sire a healthy baby boy in order to protect and preserve the Tudor dynasty. She was also aware of the reasons as to why she needed a son. To protect her marriage was the primary reason as her father was so often keen to remind her. Anne herself wasn't that worried on the subject of a boy. It was her first pregnancy, it wasn't as if she wasn't fertile as she'd proven that when she had already been carrying Henry's son before the two of them were wed.

Another reason for Henry's happiness, Anne could tell, was the submission of Katherine Dowager Princess of Wales. Internally Anne was of the mind that Katherine should just be sent off to some better manor without having at court. It wasn't Katherine that was the problem as such – for she was not the type of person to cause a scene with crude words – it was the rest of the court that bothered her for they would make the remarks that Katherine was too proud not to make herself. She could tell now that all the lowly servants would be full of this gossip particularly one of Henry's new pages, a Sir John Seymour if she was correct who always had a smug air around him and a gaze of disapproval directed at her at all times.

As her maid bowed and left Anne climbed into bed and tried to think about what Katherine's visit to court would entail, certainly it would be nothing good for her and there still a matter of the Lady Mary that needed to be dealt with although Anne thought that it wouldn't be too hard. Everyone knew that Mary only rebelled against her father because her mother did so and now that Katherine was submitting maybe she would follow suit.

 **A/N: The next chapter is going to have some of Henry's point of view and we will get to see some more of Henry and Anne as they handle Katherine coming to court and as for Katherine and Anne meeting… we'll have to wait and see.**


	4. Chapter IV:Return to Court

**A/N: Welcome back to another chapter of Katherine's vision. As usual sorry for not updating and I'm even more sorry that updates (as you probably guessed) won't be regular due to my busy life. Anyway, on with the chapter.**

* * *

 **The More – September 15** **th** **, 1533**

As Katherine stood in the courtyard of The More she took one last chance to take in its view before entering her carriage, not that the look of this run down and clearly forgotten was anything to marvel at for it wasn't but the place and its abandoned would always be a part of Katherine for it was where she had faced her hardest of trials her time her had been hard – harder than the time she spent cooped up in Bayard's Castle after the death of her first husband all those years ago. As she sat down inside, she was swiftly followed by Maria who took her seat opposite Katherine.

"This isn't how I thought we would be returning to court" Maria noted, "I thought that when, not if, we did it would be caused by His Majesty's change in heart. That he would come here himself to beg for the apology of his wife who he had wronged and that we would all return to our happy and rightful positions"

"Did you?" Katherine said as she looked up from her sewing, "I suppose I cannot blame you, not when I once held those beliefs"

"What changed, Katherine?" Maria said, calling her mistress by her Christian name – a sign of their years of friendship – as she reached across to gently take one of her hands.

Katherine looked out of the small window of the carriage as she contemplated her reply. In truth there were many factors as to why she did what she did, the main one being that the Lady's – no the Queen's – daughter was the one who was to lead England into the golden age and the happiness of her own daughter Mary who was must be under an undue amount of stress from the whole ordeal.

"Time. I'll admit that when we were first sent here the thought that my beloved would come for me, my sir loyal heart, gave me the strength to live out each day knowing that we were not to be here forever." Katherine said as she continued to look out of the window, feeling Maria give a gentle squeeze of support to her hand Katherine continued, "But I realised, as all who face his wrath do, that there was no winning against a man who held all the strings. And besides, I knew that things could never go back to how they were, even if I refused to acknowledge it back then when it would have suited it the most."

Maria stared at her friend as she watched her struggle to keep her composure wondering what she could possibly say to ease her heartache. "Perhaps His Majesty will be kind to you. After all you were the one to go to him as well as the fact of your shared past, not even he can deny that he once held you close to his heart no matter how much he may have wanted to do."

Her only reply was a simple nod of her head.

Soon the two of them settled into a comfortable silence with the occasional conversation between them to help lighten the tone of the journey. ' _Good. It would not do either of them well to dwell on an unhappy matter such as this'_ , Katherine thought. Instead the two of them preferred to talk about one of the more positive aspects, her new household.

Truly she would be happy to once again be surrounded by people, it was one of her favourite parts of Queenship. When her household had been reduced over the years from one befitting a Queen to one that had barely enough to provide her with her basic needs the worst part about it had been the silence that filled the room every day, matters were also not helped by the fact that the ones who did stay were rarely able to be merry, they were either being hounded to leave her service or they were simply miserable by their situation, neither of which Katherine could blame them for. The one's who did stay though were near and dear to Katherine's heart for they were the ones who had kept her sane during those awful years and whom had been the first names that Katherine had listed on who she wanted her household to be consisted of.

"So, who else has Your Highness decided upon" Maria absentmindedly asked as she continued to sow her embroidery.

"I have a great desire to invite back some of my old friends who were forced out of my service" Katherine replied with thinking about some of her older friends. One in particular came to her mind, Lady Maud Parr. The two of them had been close with Maud having completed many years of faithful service to Katherine before her husband had decided that it would be better for their family's standing if his wife was no longer in the service of the disgraced Queen. "But I also think that I should invite some younger people, your daughter Catherine perhaps?"

Maria looked up at Katherine in shock, "It would be a great honour of you, Your Highness for I have not been in the company of my daughter in many months" Maria, more fortunate than Katherine, was able to visit her daughter on occasion under the strict watch of Cromwell's servants to ensure that no information was passed between them which may have been detrimental to the Lady.

"Charles has told me many great things about her, and with a mother such as yourself loyalty must surely flow through her veins"

"You give me too much credit, Your Highness"

"I am only giving you what you deserve as my longest friend"

"Is that to be it, Your Highness?" Maria asked in an attempt to change the subject away from her.

"I was thinking of maybe the Lady Elizabeth Seymour," Katherine paused for a moment to fully jog her memory of her before continuing, "She served me a few years before it all happened, and anyway her father is a good man who has done good years for the King"

"An excellent choice, Your Highness."

* * *

 **Wolfhall – September 18** **th** **, 1533**

Life at Wolfhall was busier than ever, and for good reason. The announcement that Queen Katherine was to return to court had filled Jane with the utmost joy until the she had been made aware of the conditions of the Queen's return. The main one being that she would return under her false title of Dowager Princess of Wales and not the one she ought to have as the true Queen of England and that her household was to reduced down to one that would be equal to that of the Princess Elizabeth – not that the illegitimate child of the King and his mistress should be entitled to better treatment than the King's own wife!

In fact, it was the new assembling of the Queen's household that allowed them to know before most others the situation their beloved Queen was in as her sister, Elizabeth, was to serve as one of her Ladies-in-waiting. It was even better for her as where she had once been a simple Maid of Honour due to her unmarried status, she was now able to climb the social ranks of court as she was now able to boost a husband in Sir Anthony Ughtred. When the messenger had arrived to inform them all of this development they had been sworn to secrecy and told that Elizabeth should be prepared for court shortly as it would not be long now until they would be required.

Jane had wondered whether or not the Queen had had any say in the arrangement of her household or if the King had chosen them for her under the advice of Master Cromwell. If Jane was displeased by the situation of the Queen then she would be even more upset at her lack of an invite, it was her dream to serve the person who had been such an idol to her growing up and her not making the cut was a huge setback for her. Even Edward would soon be off to court to fill in her fathers duties for him as he went to the King and claimed that now that he was an old man he would prefer to spend his final years in the company of his wife and remaining children and the King, knowing that her father was a good man, had agreed to his request.

It wasn't fair! She was a thousand times more devoted to the Queen and King that her siblings ever were and yet she was the one who was left sitting at home, although Jane supposed that she was partially to blame for this as she had spent the majority of her childhood convinced that she would be a nun and nearly got as far as joining a convent nearby until her sister Dorothy was able to talk her out of it and show her that there were better opportunities to do God's will than to become a nun. Since then Jane had been of the mind that if she were to serve something greater than herself serving the Queen would be a good place to start and now that chance had been taken from her by her younger sister.

"Don't fret Jane, you'll be invited to court soon enough" Dorothy said as she took a seat beside her sister. "Father has already gotten a potion at court for both Edward and Elizabeth and young Harry's doing well in his position in the Church, I'm sure that he would be able to get you a place at court if you so wanted"

"I don't agree with it."

"Agree with what? The Queen being forced to accept a lesser title or the fact that you've been left behind?"

Jane stared at her sister in shock, how easy had it been for her to read Jane's emotions like that? "Both I suppose. I would want nothing more than to be able to serve my Queen and besides Elizabeth has already been to court before, why not give someone else a turn?"

"That's exactly why they want her Jane. A person with experience is of far more value to someone than one who has never spent a day at court in her life before and anyway it doesn't matter the Queen was the one who wanted her there and you of all people should be able to respect that given your devotion to her"

Jane turned her head away quickly, embarrassed at the fact that Jane herself hadn't come up with that logical idea. "That is if she chose her ladies. Honestly if you ask me, I would be inclined to tell you that it was probably the Lady Anne, choosing all the ladies that would best suit her and then throwing a few good ones in at the request of the King."

Dorothy was about to respond to her sister when their mother walked into the room having heard the last part of their conversation.

"Jane, I think you would find that the correct term for the Lady Anne is Her Majesty the Queen."

"But mother, you know -"

"And that the former Queen is to be known as the Dowager Princess of Wales as was decreed by the King" Lady Seymour kept her face hardened for a moment to make Jane realise that she had meant what she said and allowed herself to soften, "Listen, I know what you believe. What we all believe – except for perhaps Edward – but you must not let your true colours show for there are ears everywhere, and nowhere more so than at court. That is if you still want to go"

"Yes mother" Jane humbly replied with before exiting the room with her mother and Dorothy to help with preparing Elizabeth for court.

* * *

 **Whitehall Palace – September 21** **st** **, 1533**

"His Majesty, the King" Cried the guard as he opened the door to let Henry in Anne's chambers so that the two of them could spend the evening together. Although Dr Linacre had yet to allow them to be joined together as man and wife yet, claiming that Anne needed to be more recovered before such duties could be resumed, Henry had made it a point to spend dinner with her at least three times a week so that they could speak with each other in private.

For Anne, these evening meals were a sign of his affection which under her circumstances were a good thing considering that her greatest rival was to be arriving at court this coming week. Henry had already put her in charge in making sure that the rooms prepared for her were to the standard that one would expect a Princess to live in.

"Anne" Henry simply said as he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek before leading her to the table that had been set up for their use.

"My love" Anne responded as she sat down at her place and servants began to place food in front of the them.

"What have you been doing today?"

"Nothing much, just spending time with our daughter" Anne paused for a moment and then looked up at Henry to check if it was okay to continue. Seeing no disappointment in his eyes she smiled and continued with, "Lady Bryan tells me that she grows stronger every day, and that she is your very likeness"

"Yes, she's told me such already" Henry stated as he pulled another slice of beef onto his plate, "It will be most upsetting when she's gone to Hatfield"

"Well don't blame me Henry, I'm the one who's been asking you to let her stay with us for longer, but you keep claiming that Hatfield's better for her" laughed Anne as she took a sip of her wine. She had know that from the very beginning of her pregnancy that her child would have been sent off to some country palace no matter the sex of the child but that still didn't make it hurt any less now that the time to relinquish her child was upon her.

"And you that I'm right in that matter, this isn't done in to hurt you sweetheart its simply what I and the doctors agree on what's safest for our child." Henry could understand why Anne was so apprehensive towards giving up her child for she had been raised in a household that wasn't royal. A household where the children were taken care for in the same building as their parents and also the fact that she was a first-time mother. Henry was sure that once they had more children Anne would become accustomed to the idea of having separate establishments for the children. However, he also needed her to understand why this was important for him too. Henry had lost too many children in the past and knew that the sooner Elizabeth was sent to Hatfield the better it would be for her health.

"I know, and I'm grateful to have a husband who cares so much for our children – even a daughter." A few days ago, Henry had come to her claiming that he was sorry for his behaviour towards her and his disappointment with their daughter saying that it was just a short outburst of emotion due to the fact he had to wait longer for their son to arrive and that he was worried that he would not be able to live long enough to see their son reach his majority.

At the time Anne had accepted his apology without much protest knowing that it was most likely the closest he would ever get to admitting that he had been wrong to be disappointed with Elizabeth and that his apology had seemed as though it was genuine. Besides Anne knew that his fears were not without reason, that if Henry did indeed die before their son reached his majority, or worse still he died without one then there was the possibility that someone may try to steal the crown away from either her son of Elizabeth. Even though, Anne knew that Henry was a fickle creature and that if she were not to get with child soon that he would be likely to recant his words of apology and once again accuse her of being the downfall of the Tudor dynasty.

"Besides, we have other things to worry about," Henry didn't even have to mention her name for Anne to know who she was talking about. Both her and Henry had been trying their best to keep the news under wraps from the rest of the court with all the members of the privy council and ladies of Katherine's new household sworn to secrecy but she knew that once Katherine arrived the gossip would know no end, "Have you finished her chambers?"

"Yes, it was quite the challenge, but I should think it suitable enough for her." Anne replied truthfully. It had been hard to locate all the furniture for her rooms in under such short notice, but Anne had managed to make it work, not to mention the fact that Anne and Katherine had opposite tastes in room decoration.

"Good, I should also hope that the uniform for her ladies has been made? Cromwell and I have approved over her ladies"

Henry and Anne continued to spend the evening talking over their plans for Katherine's upcoming visit whilst also avoiding the topic of what it meant for them personally to have someone who had once, and still could, pose a threat to them return back into their lives.

* * *

 **Whitehall Palace – November 3** **rd** **, 1533**

Katherine stared in the mirror as she readied herself for what she was about to do. Her new chambers, which she had been shown to immediately, were of a grand nature – certainly grander than those she had been forced to live in at The More, but she could tell that they were smaller than those of the Queen's apartments. A part of Katherine wanted to demand that as she was the daughter of two of the greatest monarchs in Europe that it didn't matter if she were Queen or not, she still deserved to have a bigger chamber than this. Fortunately, her more sensible half told her that she was in no position to be asking for an upgrade especially considering that this new set of rooms was far more luxurious than the other places she had stayed in.

Her arrival was something that had been kept a secret, of this she was certain as when she'd arrived not even the King was there to welcome her and Charles had quickly left claiming that the King had wanted to see him immediately following her arrival, the few people who were there Katherine was glad to learn were a handful of her ladies. Being that her household had been thrown together so quickly Katherine wasn't shocked when one of her ladies Catherine, who had just finished greeting her mother, told her that the only ladies that were here were the ones that already happened to be residing at court or had been able to get here quick enough and that the rest were to show up within the next week or two. In all honestly Katherine was simply glad that Henry had appeared to allow her to have her choice of ladies as when she had gotten no reply, she had no idea whether to assume that he would or would not give her this one small mercy.

As one of her few ladies – a Mistress Margery Horseman, Katherine remembered – dressed her into a new gown Catherine appeared in the doorway of her bedchamber.

"The King wants to see me I presume?" Catherine gave her a small nod of her head before Katherine lead them out. It would not do good for her to be late; it would be pointless to anger Henry over such small things.

When she arrived the pageboy that had led them there quickly dismissed himself and the men at the door slowly opened the doors in front of her and shouted into the room, "Her Royal Highness, The Dowager Princess of Wales."

As she walked into the room Katherine noted who was and wasn't there. There on joint thrones sat the King and his wife and next to them stood important officers such as. Some of them she recognised as friends were that of Thomas Moore and the Duke of Suffolk as well as some other minor members of the privy council who had fought for her. Others she knew not to be so friendly towards her for example the Duke of Norfolk who stood proudly at his nieces side was no doubt rejoicing in the victory she was surely giving him by allowing an heir with Howard blood to sit upon the throne of England, Katherine only hoped that Elizabeth would learn to take his advice with scepticism because whilst he was a good Catholic and a even better military presence he was also known for being ruthlessly ambitious. Speaking of which that was one person whom Katherine noted was not here, Thomas Boleyn. That either meant that he was away or out of favour for surely this man had been waiting for this day to pass even more so than his daughter.

"Your Majesties" Katherine said as she bowed deeply towards Henry and Anne. With two words Katherine could feel he air of relief that filled the room knowing that she had just gone past the point of no return by acknowledging Anne as Queen.

"Katherine. I have accepted your submission and have agreed to allow you have the choice of ladies that you desired in exchange for ending this unhappy chapter in our lives. My only wish is for us to live out the rest of our days as one happy family" Henry said knowing that most people in the room didn't believe that that would be the case and Henry himself had doubts on whether or not the two of them could live peacefully in such a situation, which brought up the issue of Mary.

"As you have been made aware of you are to receive an annual payment of £200 which will be used to cover any expenses you may require. As well as that the council and I have decided that the best way to get our daughter, the Lady Mary, to submit it through you. You will be allowed to have communication with her under the conditions that any letter between the two of you is to be read beforehand by Master Cromwell." Henry watched as a small smile shone on Katherine's face and Henry too was excited for this, he had missed his daughter for a long time now and he knew that Katherine was the only one who could talk any sense into her as the poor girl had only rebelled because her mother had. Henry gave a comforting squeeze to Anne's hand as he continued to talk to Katherine. Hopefully, in time, they could all be one happy family.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. In the next chapter we'll be able to see the impact on Katherine's return on everybody at court as well as the impact abroad. Also, Mary well be making her first appearance.**

 **Side note, I am aware that in history it was Jane and not Elizabeth who served Katherine as a Maid of Honour, but I think it works here for the story I have planned.**

 **Please don't forget to leave a review!**


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